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Pinestar's Choice/Chapter 6
Chapter description :Pinestar wrenches himself free from a WindClan warrior's grip. The tom staggers sideways on his twisted paw, before springing at the ThunderClan leader. Pinestar attacks the warrior, screwing up his eyes against the splatters of blood. The tom, who Pinestar suspects to be Deadfoot, streaks away with a yowl. He pauses and looks around. He is halfway up the slope that shelters the WindClan camp. The dip is filled with fighting cats and shrieks and yowls. Below him are Stormtail and Dappletail, who are fighting three WindClan warriors. Farther away is Swiftbreeze dragging her daughter Leopardpaw to safety, while Featherwhisker is behind a boulder waiting for her. :In panic, Pinestar thinks that this isn't supposed to happen, wondering how he could've thought WindClan would allow this. He sees Stonepelt and Moonflower slip inside the medicine cat den, and Pinestar is satisfied, ready to call a retreat. He stops abruptly as two WindClan cats follow Moonflower and Stonepelt inside the medicine cat den, while Hawkheart crouches at the entrance, tail lashing. Pinestar hears a yowl from the den as Stonepelt scrambles out, his shoulder wounded and a WindClan warrior chasing him. Moonflower emerges next, her fur noted to be stained with herb juice. But before she can run any further, Hawkheart lunges for the she-cat. Pinestar, ready to help his Clanmate, bunches his hindquaters, but is too late. Hawkheart already has sunken his teeth into Moonflower's throat. She manages to struggle free and smack the medicine cat's muzzle, but he simply snatches her up and tosses her aside. Pinestar hears Bluepaw's wail of terror as Moonflower lays still on the ground. :He calls the retreat, and Heatherstar, WindClan's leader, growls at him. She tells him the attack is unjust. Silently, Pinestar apologizes, not knowing what to say. He turns away, but then notices Bluepaw. She stumbles up to Moonflower's body and crouches beside her in the pouring rain. The apprentice desperately tries to get her to wake up, but Pinestar tells her that Moonflower is dead. Bluepaw protests, saying that warriors don't kill. The ThunderClan leader hears Hawkheart growl that destroying their herb store was reason enough. Pinestar blames himself for Moonflower's murder, and Swiftbreeze pulls Bluepaw away. He drags Moonflower's body away as he and his Clan leave WindClan's camp. :After a short timeskip, Pinestar and Jake talk about the attack. Jake asks if it was really bad; Pinestar replies that he thought Swiftbreeze would kill Goosefeather. His kittypet friend comments that she blamed the right cat, as it is the medicine cat who told the Clan to attack WindClan. However, Pinestar protests against this, telling Jake that he is the leader. He shifts, then adds that he led them into battle. Jake licks the cut on Pinestar's ear, replying that a leader is supposed to trust their medicine cat. The words tugged from his stomach, Pinestar admits that he isn't sure whether or not to trust Goosefeather anymore, and expresses his worries about the old medicine cat. Jake purrs, teasing Goosefeather and his omens. The ginger kittypet finishes cleaning Pinestar's ear, and starts kneading his flank, letting out soft purrs. Pinestar relaxes, resting his cheek on the ground, stretching out. He thinks how easy it is to visit Jake every moon, or half-moon, have conversations with, and lie in the grass with. Pinestar mentions that Jake is curious about Clan life, but won't go into the forest. The kittypet isn't a threat to his Clan, despite him knowing the deputy and medicine cat's name by memory, the weakest border points, and Pinestar's concern about the apprentices. The ThunderClan leader remembers how he had mentioned Talltail, a WindClan warrior, to Jake a few times, and the first thing he had asked Pinestar earlier was whether or not Talltail is okay. Pinestar had replied that Talltail hadn't been wounded, as far as he knew. He notes that Jake was a friend, and values him dearly, as he would his Clanmates. :Pinestar tells Jake that he can't ignore his medicine cat, rolling over to give him attention to his other shoulder, then silently adds that he can only watch his Clanmates die. His friend stops and rests his muzzle on Pinestar's flank, wishing he could've helped. Pinestar replies that he does, as he doesn't talk to any other cat the way he is now. Jake teases him about Leopardpaw, and the leader gets defensive, stating she's a good apprentice. Pinestar goes on, telling the kittypet that she was wounded during the battle, but is okay now, thanking StarClan. Jake tilts his head, and tells his friend that he worries too much, because he can't save every cat. Pinestar murmurs that he wish he could. :A voice interrupts them, and when Pinestar looks up, he sees a small brown tabby approaching them. The tabby exclaims about Pinestar being a visitor. She introduces herself as Shanty, and greets Jake by touching his muzzle. When Shanty questions where Pinestar is from, he replies that he lives in the forest, exciting the kittypet. She exclaims that it is cool and settles down. Shanty asks Pinestar if he is okay, and he twitches his ear, confirming he is fine. She turns to Jake, and begins talking about another cat named Tyr, explaining that he was locked out of his Twoleg nest. Jake, amused, sniffs, then explains to Pinestar that Tyr is a pedigree Burmese. Shanty adds that he doesn't stop telling them about it. The ThunderClan tom notes he can't tell a Burmese from a badger. He tries not to lean closer to Shanty to sniff her fur, as she smells different than any Clan queen. He ponders if he can befriend Shanty, as he doesn't want to be treated like a strange, fearsome enemy beyond the forest, only a friend. Characters Major }} Minor *Dappletail *Stormtail *Swiftbreeze *Leopardpaw *Featherwhisker *Stonepelt *Moonflower *Hawkheart *Bluepaw *Heatherstar *Jake *Shanty }} Mentioned *Tyr *Talltail }} Notes and references Category:Novellas Category:Chapter subpages Category:Pinestar's Choice